Baking at home with kids is easier than you think

Wednesday

Sep 21, 2011 at 12:01 AMSep 21, 2011 at 8:00 PM

Looking for a low-cost activity that brings the family together and produces delicious results? Try introducing your children to baking. Involving your kids when preparing a meal provides time to bond as a family and can help kids learn a few basic kitchen lessons at an early age. Follow the link to see some recipe examples. Do you have any tips on getting kids involved in baking or cooking?

Tip of the Week

Looking for a low-cost activity that brings the family together and produces delicious results? Try introducing your children to baking. Involving your kids when preparing a meal provides time to bond as a family and can help kids learn a few basic kitchen lessons at an early age. When you start with bread or pretzel dough, you have plenty of simple and fun options that will lead to entertaining adventures in the kitchen. Here are a few examples of the types of meals and snacks you can prepare:

- Pretzels: What better way to start than with something simple and delicious? Twist into the classic pretzel bowtie or keep it simple with pretzel sticks. Coat sticks with cinnamon sugar for a sweet spin on a savory delight. Or for a fun activity for the kids, create numbers, letters and shapes with your pretzels.

- Appetizers: Beef up your pretzels by wrapping dough around mini hot dogs for tasty pretzel dog bites. Or cut dough into small pieces, coat with salt and serve pretzel nuggets along with a variety of your family's favorite dipping sauces.

- Pizzas: One of the easiest and most fun recipes is the simple homemade pizza. Make mini crusts for each of your kids, lay out the toppings and let them go to town making the pie of their dreams. Also great for dessert pizzas.

- Breakfast goodies: Monkey bread is a great family baking adventure. Your children can help tear the dough into pieces as you build your masterpiece, then have tons of fun ripping apart the finished product when they dig into the baked pastry.

- ARA

Money-Saving Tip

According to http://billcutterz.com/, here are the best things to buy in September:

Synopsis: A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak. – Warner Bros.

Violence/scary rating: 3.5

Sexual-content rating: 2

Profanity rating: 3

Drugs/alcohol rating: 3

Family Time rating: 3. As long as your teens won’t get scared by this “realistic” thriller, it’s a fine movie.

(Ratings are judged on a five-point scale, with 5 being “bad for kids” and 1 being “fine for kids.”)

Book Report

"Modelland" by Tyra Banks

Ages: Young adult

Pages: 576

Synopsis: No one gets in without being asked. And with her untamable hair, large forehead, and gawky body, Tookie De La Crème isn’t expecting an invitation. Modelland — the exclusive, mysterious place on top of the mountain — never dares to make an appearance in her dreams. But someone has plans for Tookie. Before she can blink her mismatched eyes, Tookie finds herself in the very place every girl in the world obsesses about. And three unlikely girls have joined her. Are you ready? Modelland is waiting for you. … - Random House Children's Books

Did You Know

According to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, fathers have lower testosterone levels than non-fathers, which shows that “human fathers are biologically wired to help with the job," said researcher Christopher Kuzawa.

GateHouse News Service

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.